It really was. The new songs were all enjoyable but it was the call and
response fun of What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor (only 2 chords)
that really kicked some serious butt. I want to thank people for jumping up
and leading other songs too: Ronin especially did a bunch of helping and
harmonizing and then there was Anne, Uncle Bob and Ed and a gang of folks
for Hallelujah right at the end that included April and James. Lotsa fun!

Performances were all outstanding and the big surprise for me was the high
quality of all three first-timers. Maureen, who sings out at Seniors homes
but rarely sings solo, delivered a beautiful, quietly sincere rendition of
The Green Green Grass of Home. Very different from the belting of Tom Jones.
Then April sang Creep in a clear high voice that made the song both moving
and plaintive. Michael, our last first-timer to the stage, sang Beyond the
Reef and as soon as he started to sing you just knew he could nail the
Hawaiian vocal sound. It’s one of those voices where you feel warm and
tanned just by listening to it.

Deryl, sporting a handsome green beard (he’s already had two showers and the
green is just not fading), sang a ditty about a strong and well-rounded
woman called Agricultural Irish Girl. Tom Moody sang Allan Sherman’s Shake
Hands With Your Uncle Max – a Jewish comic song sung to a traditional Irish
tune. Tom feels perfectly qualified to sing this since he has both Irish and
Jewish roots.

Ed, in a bluesy mood, sang Key to the Highway with Ronin and Myself helping
solo on uke and harmonica respectively. Ronin sang an original song called
Take Me With You-a World Premier of his lovely song that has never before
had an audience until tonight!

The last act was a wonderful mash-up of I’ll Fly Away, Will the Circle Be
Unbroken and You Are My Sunshine called “I’ll Circle Sunshine Away”. It was
sung with spirited harmonies by Anne, Bonita and Erin with Boaz supplying
5-string banjo-uke plus male vocal.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the evening: Ron, Wendy, the Rogue
Folk Club volunteers and to everyone who managed to find something green to
wear. That’s no easy feat if your wardrobe is anything like mine – ie. not a
green thing in there!

Keep strumming and smiling and we’ll play ukes together again next month!
See ya next time!!!
Ralph Shaw

PS. Sunday March 20th 2-4pm will be a celebration of Saving the St James
Hall (3214 W.10th, Vancouver). Everyone is invited to attended. The great
news is that the City has bought the land and has leased the st James Hall
to the community for a minimum of 20 years. That makes 240 ukulele circles
we’re good for! So head out there and join in the festivity.

PPS. Also Sunday March 20 is International Happiness Day which is being
celebrated on Granville Island. So if anyone feels like organizing a ukulele
flash mob, that would be a great day to do it!